Henry's Trick
by Jinn-Jinn
Summary: Takato refuses to admit he's got a crush on Jeri, so Henry decides to take matters into his own hands.
1. Ask her out

HENRY'S TRICK  
  
Disclaimer: Didgimon is not mine. There, I said it. (  
  
Author's Note: I wrote this on a sugar rush, so please forgive me. No flames please.  
  
  
  
"Ask her out."  
  
"No"  
  
"Ask her out!" Henry said with a little more force.  
  
"No." replied Takato yet again stubbornly.  
  
"Takato. Ask. Her. Out!" Henry ground out in a whisper.  
  
Takato opened his mouth to protest again only to stop short as Jeri walked by, her smile warm, sweet and carefree, wiggling her fingers at him and Henry who were sitting at a table near the trees eating lunch. Henry merely waved back, trying to suppress his grin at the sight of his friend's cheeks turning pink as they always do when Jeri is around.  
  
"Hi Henry." She said to him, then turned to Takato with a more gracious smile. "Hi Takato."  
  
The light brunette's face spread into a tiny grin and waved back at her. "Hi Jeri." He murmured, blushing, watching her with his eyes as she went her way to her girlfriends' table. Henry was getting a real kick out of watching Takato even though it irritated him as well that he refused to admit that he liked Jeri even if it was so obvious to the world that his denies were laughable.  
  
The silver-eyed boy threw a fry at Takato to get back his attention and his grin grew at his startled expression.  
  
"Hey! Wha-"  
  
"Ask her out." Henry started again.  
  
Takato was taken aback by the command and once again shook his head. "No."  
  
Henry groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Takato, for the love of God, please ask her out!"  
  
"No, I don't think I'm ready." He replied as he tried to eat his meal.  
  
"You are so ready, Takato. Now ask her out." Henry commanded again determined to push his friend in taking the first step.  
  
Takato put his fork down and glared at his friend. "What makes you think I want to ask Jeri out?" He asked.  
  
Now there's a dumb question Henry chuckled to himself. "Because all I have to do is say her name and you'll blush." He replied.  
  
"Nuh-uh!"  
  
A fine dark-blue eyebrow arched. "Jeri." He said slowly, enunciating the name.  
  
Sure enough a fine pink blush spread over Takato's cheeks and he stopped glaring and instead covered his face with his hands. "You suck." Came the muffled reply.  
  
"Yes, I do. Now ask her out." Henry commanded again before taking a sip of his soda.  
  
Takato sighed, not saying no to the command and instead began to think. It's been a year long that he has known Jeri. A year of blushing and stumbling and stammering. In reality he did want to ask her out, but he just couldn't fine the nerve to do so. They've always been friends, Jeri and he, and he worried about ruining it, or worse, being rejected, yet the idea of her going out with someone else bothered him deeply.  
  
Henry waited patiently, wondering if he was finally going to give in. "Takato?" He called softly, curiously.  
  
"No." Came the final answer, muffled under his hands.  
  
"Man, Takato, you are stubborn." Henry sighed, then he decided to move to Plan B. "Fine, you leave me no choice." And he got out of his seat and disappeared into the crowd. Takato looked up in time to see his friend leave and he frowned curiously, fearful of what Henry might be doing.  
  
Suddenly his eyes finally spotted Henry's dark blue hair and with great horror realized that he was standing next to Jeri, talking to her in earnest.  
  
Oh God! He's telling her how I feel!! No! Henry would never do that! Oh but then what the heck is he doing over there!! Why is she nodding?? Why is he nodding?? Why did he just hug her?! He shouldn't hug her!! Well at least it was brief. Oh good, he's coming back….but I don't like that smile on his face…. Takato thought to himself, his emotions all a jumble in his head as Henry, with a triumphant look on his face, returned to their table and sat down with a content sigh.  
  
"Okay, I'll leave you alone now." He said simply before going back to his lunch, a look of pure mischief in his gray eyes.  
  
"What? What happened?? What did you two talk about??" Takato asked squirming on the bench. "Come on, tell me!"  
  
Henry merely shrugged. "Oh nothing….Except I'm taking Jeri on her first date. Pretty neat, huh?" He replied casually.  
  
"WHAT!!" Takato cried out before he fell off the bench and hit the pavement.  
  
TBC…. 


	2. Saturday Night

Takato was a royal mess that Saturday night as he paced back and forth, back and forth inside Guilmon's little home. Guilmon curiously watched his friend pace all around, smelling something definitely not right in him.  
  
"What's wrong Takato?" he asked in his sweet childish voice.  
  
"Nothing…well something…Oh I don't know!" The thirteen year old moaned, racking his fingers through his messy brown locks. He then turned to Guilmon and tried to state himself a little better. "You know I'm still too young to be thinking about stuff like this. I mean what's the rush? Does it really matter that in one hour Henry is going to be taking her out on her very first…" He paused, unable to get the last word out.  
  
"Date?" Guilmon added in innocently.  
  
The goggled youth snapped at the spoken word. "He can't take her out! I wanted to take her out! Oh man, why do I keep messing with myself?" Bemoaning his fate, he merely slumped against the wall and sighed.  
  
Guilmon listened and watched Takato and tried to put it all together in his mind what it was that was bothering him so much. Disliking it when his partner wasn't his happy, enthusiastic self.  
  
After puzzling it over a little, he decided to start with a question. "Are you talking about Jeri, Takato?"  
  
"Yeah, how'd you guess?" He asked.  
  
Guilmon smiled his toothy grin. "Because you blush a lot when she's around."  
  
Takato mentally cursed his light skin.  
  
"Are you not happy that Jeri is going out on a date? Is it wrong for her to date?" He asked curiously.  
  
The last thing he needed was for Guilmon to think that dating was wrong and he tried to explain. "No, it's not wrong for her to date. It's not wrong to dates period, but I don't want Henry to date her."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it doesn't mean anything for him to be taking her out. He'd just be taking her out on a date and Jeri deserves to go out with someone that really likes her."  
  
"Like you?" Guilmon asked.  
  
"Yeah like me!" Takato said, nodding firmly.  
  
The big, red reptile puzzled a little more. "So why aren't you taking her out on a date?"  
  
His partner sighed miserably. "Because I'm an idiot." He admitted finally to himself. "Man, why am I even whining? Henry told me to ask her and I kept saying no. Why am I such a damn coward?"  
  
Guilmon whined softly at his friend's unhappy words and nudged his stomach comfortingly. "You're not a coward, Takato. You were just nervous. Can't you ask her now and go on a date with her instead of Henry?" He suggested.  
  
Takato smiled wistfully as he stroked Guilmon's head. "I wish I could, but it's an hour until Henry goes to pick her up and I know this because he told me." Suddenly he frowned curiously to himself. Why did Henry tell him that? For that matter, why did Henry also tell Takato exactly where he was going to take her and what time the movie they were going to see was starting?  
  
Oh you are an idiot, Matsuda! He berated himself and after giving his digimon a quick hug, went running down the stairs.  
  
"Takato! Where are you going??" Guilmon cried out.  
  
"I'm going on a date!!" He called back as he headed straight towards Jeri's home.  
  
TBC… 


	3. Quick Switch

Henry walked slowly towards Jeri's house, a small yellow rose in one hand while the other was raised to his face as he counted the minutes by from his wristwatch.  
  
"You got ten minutes Takato." He murmured to his friend who was not even there to hear it. He really hoped his friend showed up, or else he'd have a lot of explaining to do.  
  
Takato's and Jeri's innocent glances and body language had been easy for Henry to read and after waiting nearly a year for one of them to make a move, he got impatient and decided to give Takato a gentle nudge in the right direction. He knew it would work, there wasn't a doubt in his mind.  
  
His plan was simple enough. Ask Jeri out on a date, then let Takato know when and where so that he'd have two chances to catch up with them. And Henry knew that Takato would show up and break up the date for two simple reasons. One, there was no way that he'd let him be Jeri's first date and two, he wouldn't be able to stay away, especially not for something as important as this.  
  
Henry was nearly reaching the end of the park as he looked down at his watch again. "Seven minutes, Takato. You must really be cutting it close." He chuckled softly to himself….  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Takato ran as fast as his legs could go, cutting through the park towards Jeri's house, determined to intercept Henry before it's too late. He took a quick glance at his watch and groaned. He had all of five minutes to catch up with Henry and though the small chance that he might show up late crept into his mind, he knew it was highly unlikely. Henry was never late for anything.  
  
As he ran through a clearing, Takato saw something that gave him an extra burst of speed. Not too far away was Henry, dressed in some jeans and a nice sports jacket, holding a yellow flower, heading straight towards the clearing and the small street that would lead to Jeri's house.  
  
Jeans?? He's going to take her out wearing jeans?? He admonished, running all the faster. "Now or never." He murmured under his breath before yelling out, "Henry, stop!!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Henry, stop!!"  
  
Good timing, Takato The silver-eyed boy chuckled mentally to himself, then he smoothed his face into perfect normality and turned to face Takato. "Takato? What are you-"  
  
He was quickly cut off as the brunette slammed into him, having been unable to stop himself in time and both boys went skidding from the concrete to the grass.  
  
"Ow!" Henry moaned, landing flat on his back on the grass, feeling welts forming under his shirt from the rocks and cement. This was definitely not in the plan.  
  
Takato managed to land on top of his friend and he quickly straddled his stomach, keeping him down. A rare flair of jealousy in his usually sweet, magenta eyes.  
  
"Jeans?? Faded jeans, Henry??" He exclaimed the minute he got a closer look at him.  
  
"Whoa, someone's trying to look impressive." Henry retorted as he noticed Takato. "Do you always wear special clothing on Saturday nights?"  
  
Takato blushed in embarrassment and got off his friend, as he restuffed his white shirt into his navy-blue pants to reduce the wrinkles already present on it. "No, I usually wear these for special occasions."  
  
"Well its looks good on you. Would've probably looked better if you didn't run so much in it." He teased as he rose up off the ground.  
  
"Yeah well….You can't take Jeri out tonight!" Takato blurted out as he adjusted his navy-blue coat.  
  
Henry pretended to look shocked. "Oh really? Why not?"  
  
"Because…" He stalled before finally saying it. "I am."  
  
The dark-haired boy looked up at the heavens. "Finally! Now, fix your hair and take that rose. You got three minutes to meet Jeri."  
  
To say the least, Takato was taken aback by his friend's sudden change, but quickly recovered, knowing now that this was all apart of Henry's trick. After running his fingers through his hair, he then took the offered rose and quickly followed Henry to Jeri's place.  
  
"You do know I'm going to get you back for this, right Henry?" Takato panted as they power walked.  
  
Henry merely chuckled and looked over his shoulder at his well-dressed friend, grinning. "Yeah, but I think it was definitely worth it."  
  
They managed to reach Jeri's place with thirty seconds to spare, which Henry quickly put to good use. He adjusted Takato's collar, smudged off the dirt that got on his chin from the fall, wiped the sweat from his forehead and with less success, tried to smooth out the wrinkles on his jacket.  
  
Takato winced under the clean-up. "Hey, come on, stop!" He protested softly, smacking Henry's hands. This was all so last minute for him. What if he messed up?  
  
Noticing the tinge of worry in his friend's eyes, Henry smacked his arm. "Don't you start backing out on me, Takato Matsuda! Or so help me I'll-"  
  
"Henry? Takato? Is that you?" Jeri called out softly from the other side of the door. In a sudden burst of nervousness, Takato shoved Henry unexpectedly into the bushes next to the house as the door opened. Henry fell in with a yelp, but at least he was hidden.  
  
Jeri peeked her head out and smiled brightly at Takato, who was breathless and still a little messy.  
  
"Hi…um…Jeri." He mumbled, trying not to let the sound of the rustling bushes distract him anymore then he already was.  
  
"Hi Takato, you look very handsome tonight." Jeri praised softly, stepping further outside.  
  
"So do you. I mean…wow." He praised back. She wore a baby blue sundress with dark-blue little flower pattern all over it. A small headband with the same small dark-blue flowers crowned her lovely hair.  
  
Jeri blushed deeply and looked down at her shoes. "Thanks."  
  
Feeling a sudden pinprick of pain on his palm, Takato looked down and realized he was squeezing the thorny stem of the yellow rose a little too hard. "Oh! This is for you! I hope you like it." He said a little too loudly, relaxing his hold on it as he gave it to her.  
  
Her light-brown eyes lit up as she received the gift. "Oh thank you! You're so sweet!" Suddenly her smile faltered and she looked around a bit. "Um…where's Henry?"  
  
"Henry?" Takato echoed, then remembered. "OH! Henry…well…he got into a little accident in the park and had to cancel for tonight. He says he's very sorry."  
  
"Poor Henry! Is he alright?" She asked.  
  
The brunette grinned goofily and looked at the bush where Henry still remained hidden, watching it all. "Um, yeah…Its nothing serious. He just fell into a bush."  
  
Henry had to stifle his laughter with his hands. Takato blushed a little more.  
  
"So, does that mean he asked you to take his place then?" Jeri asked as she twirled the pretty rose with her fingers.  
  
"Um…well…actually…" Takato stumbled again, not knowing how to explain himself. Then a sudden burst of light came to him and his nervousness faded from his eyes. "No, he didn't ask me to take his place."  
  
The firmness of his tone made Jeri frown curiously. "Then, why are you here?"  
  
Now or never, Takato He said to himself. "Because, I didn't want you to stay at home tonight when you were expecting to go out and because…"  
  
His magenta eyes softened as he added, "….I wanted to ask you out tonight."  
  
The smile that spread across Jeri's face was probably the sweetest he'd ever seen. "I'd love to."  
  
Takato's own smile stretched ear to ear as he stepped back and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"  
  
Jeri gladly took his arm and after wishing her family good night, they headed towards the theatre to go on their date. Their first date.  
  
Henry quietly emerged from the bushes as soon as the coast was clear. His body a little sore, but his heart light. Stepping out into the streets, brushing out his clothes, he then looked up to see his friend and the girl of his dreams walking hand and hand down the street. The two were adorable without a doubt.  
  
"Mission accomplished." He said to himself, a smile of his own gracing his face. Silently wishing the two well, he then dug his hands into his pockets and headed home.  
  
The End. 


End file.
